NASA Astronaut Mark Kelly Resumes Training For STS-134 Mission
HOUSTON -- NASA astronaut Mark Kelly will resume training as commander
of the STS-134 space shuttle mission on Monday, Feb. 7. With the
exception of some proficiency training, Kelly has been on personal
leave since Jan. 8 to care for his wife, congresswoman Gabrielle
Giffords, who was critically wounded in a Tucson, Ariz. shooting.
"I am looking forward to rejoining my STS-134 crew members and
finishing our training for the mission," Kelly said. "We have been
preparing for more than 18 months, and we will be ready to deliver
the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to the International Space
Station and complete the other objectives of the flight. I appreciate
the confidence that my NASA management has in me and the rest of my
space shuttle crew."
"We are glad to have Mark back," said Peggy Whitson, chief of the
Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "He is a
veteran shuttle commander and knows well the demands of the job. We
are confident in his ability to successfully lead this mission, and I
know I speak for all of NASA in saying 'welcome back'.
A news briefing will be held at 2 p.m. CST today at Johnson to discuss
Kelly's return. The briefing will be broadcast on NASA Television.
Questions will be taken from reporters at Johnson, NASA Headquarters
and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Participants will include:
-- Mark Kelly, commander, STS-134
-- Peggy Whitson, chief, Astronaut Office
-- Brent Jett, chief, Flight Crew Operations Directorate
Because of winter weather conditions, Johnson will be closed until
noon. However, the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 is staffed to
receive calls from journalists requesting credentials.
On Monday, Feb. 7, NASA TV will broadcast video b-roll of Kelly's
first training session with his crew at 11:30 a.m. CST. Additional
b-roll of his first day of training will air at 3 p.m. The training
sessions will not be available for filming by news media.
Astronaut Rick Sturckow, the backup commander for the mission, will
resume his role as the deputy chief of the Astronaut Office. For more
information about the STS-134 mission and crew, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
Kelly's biography can be found at:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/
For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
Source: NASA
